A former employee of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Middletown, Rhode Island, was sentenced in U.S. District Court on July 23 for transmitting threats in interstate commerce.
Luis Sanchez Pardella, 38, of Newport received a sentence of time served plus an additional 14 days, followed by six months in a residential reentry center and two years of supervised release. The court also ordered that Pardella have no contact with the victim.
According to court documents, between July 2022 and February 2023, Pardella made numerous threatening telephone calls to at least eight former colleagues at the center. In one instance, he left a voicemail stating, “I will kill you and your wife when I see you on the street.” Between December 2022 and February 2023, Pardella also made multiple threatening calls to the Portsmouth Police Department. During these calls he said an officer and his wife “will be going to jail,” called the department corrupt, and stated about the officer’s wife: “write down (name redacted) is dead… the wife of one of your cops is dead.”
“These targeted and deeply disturbing threats are not just words — they are calculated attempts to instill fear in public servants and their families,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles C. Calenda. “No one who dedicates their career to serving their community should be subjected to this kind of harassment and intimidation. Today’s sentencing reflects our commitment to ensuring that individuals who terrorize others through threats of violence are held fully accountable.”
Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, said: “No one should be subjected to repeated harassment, threats, and intimidation for simply doing their jobs, especially public servants, but that’s exactly what happened when Luis Sanchez Pardella unleashed his vitriolic words on his former colleagues. His actions instilled genuine fear in the victims he targeted, disrupting their lives and eroding their sense of security. While today’s sentence holds him accountable for his crimes, the FBI will continue working with our law enforcement partners to ensure others who engage in this kind of egregious behavior are also brought to justice.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul F. Daly Jr., following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from local police departments as well as federal agencies such as the Federal Air Marshal Service.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island enforces federal laws across Rhode Island through prosecutions and civil actions aimed at safeguarding public safety; it operates under the United States Department of Justice while collaborating with agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to the official website.